1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having a retention system for facilitating retaining a plurality of printed circuit boards in the electrical connector.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known to provide an electrical connector having a plurality of printed circuit boards therein to resolve the problem for transmitting electrical signals in a high-speed and high-density manner. However, though the plurality of printed circuit boards can improve the signal transmission in the high speed and high density manner, some problems still need to be overcome. Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,604, it discloses an electrical connector having a plurality of circuit boards (13) therein. The circuit boards are assembled between a front housing portion (20) and an organizer (30). Each of the circuit boards has a mating edge (42), and the organizer has a plurality of slots (33) which are spaced apart in correspondence with apertures (22) defined in the front housing portion. In assembly, the mounting edges of the circuit boards are received in respective slots, and the circuit boards extend through respective apertures, whereby the circuit boards are retained in the electrical connector.
However, with the ever-increasing miniaturization of electronic circuit, along with the consequent reduction in sizes of the connector, the slots often are difficult to meet the requirement to accurately position the printed circuit boards. Lacking such an accurate positioning, the mating edges (42) of the circuit boards (13) cannot properly engage with a complementary connector. Hence, an improvement to resolve the problem of the prior art is required.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector which can achieve a precise mounting of a plurality of circuit boards in the connector.
In order to achieve the object set forth above, an electrical connector comprises a dielectric housing, a spacer in a recess at bottom of the housing, a plurality of circuit boards and a fastening element covering back of the housing. The dielectric housing defines a plurality of ribs to form parallel channels extending in a mating direction of the electrical connector. A plurality of bumps extends downward from a bottom face of an upper wall of the housing into the channels, respectively. The spacer consists of a plurality of identical wafers. Each wafer has a dielectric base, a plurality of terminals attached on a first side of the dielectric base to electrically connect with a corresponding circuit board, and a grounding bus mainly attached on an opposite second side of the dielectric base, wherein the grounding bus has contacting legs extending in the second side of the dielectric base thereby forming free ends facing an adjacent grounding bus to retain the corresponding circuit board between the legs and the adjacent grounding bus. Each grounding bus has a plurality of supporting pads projecting substantially parallel to the upper wall of the housing. Each individual circuit board is received in a corresponding channel of the dielectric housing and between two adjacent wafers. Each individual circuit board is also disposed between a corresponding bump of the housing and the supporting pads of a corresponding grounding bus.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.